


Shades of Purple

by candyalpacas



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Lance (Voltron), Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 17:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8336677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candyalpacas/pseuds/candyalpacas
Summary: When Lance comes out to the team, he finds out something about Keith he never expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ok you all know what keith is gonna say because it's in the tags but shhhh, let's pretend you don't.
> 
> Title inspired by the song "for him." by Troye Sivan!

"RISE AND SHINE, PALADINS!"

Lance jolted awake, wondering why the hell Allura was in his room. He pulled his blanket up to his chest quickly, before realizing she was broadcasting her voice through the ships intercom system. He breathed a sigh of relief, and laid back down.

"ALL OF YOU, PLEASE MEET ME IN THE GYM IMMEDIATELY."

Lance wondered why he hadn't known the ship had a gym before, but shrugged it off as he rolled out of bed to get dressed. At that moment, however, he heard a knock on his door, then it slid open. Lance quickly crossed his arms and turned around to see Pidge standing there.

"Oh, thank quiznak it's just you." He dropped his arms and quirked an eyebrow. "What brings you here?"

"Allura's calling. I figured I would check and make sure you actually, y'know, woke up this time. After our last training I knew she would be upset if you were late again." Pidge gestured for Lance to follow them. 

"Bro, you do realize that...i'm in my pajamas. So are you." Pidge shrugged. "And?" 

"Just...let me get dressed. I'll meet you down there, okay?" Pidge nodded and slid the door back shut.

Phew. 

\---

Lance made it to the gym not long after Pidge, but he was still the last one. Allura glanced at him. "You're wearing your normal clothes," she remarked. 

"...Yeah?"

"How do you expect to work out in those?"

"Um...I didn't know we were working out?"

"Dude," Hunk cut in, "its the gym. What did you expect?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll just go back to my room real quick then..."

"No time! We have extra gym clothes over there." Allura pointed to a small room in the corner. "You can change there."

"No no, really, its fine, I can just-" Allura cut him off with a glare, and he reluctantly went to the changing room.

When he came back, everyone was already hard at work.

"Allura, why are we doing this?"

"Paladins must be in their peak physical form in order to be most effective at fighting."

"Pssh, you're talking to the strongest guy on the ship! I don't need any extra training, look at these guns!" He flexed an arm, grinning. 

Allura just stared at him. "Riiight..."

"Alright, alright, I get it..." Lance huffed and shuffled over to Pidge, who was on a treadmill. They were wearing the same outfit as Lance, because they came down in their pajamas and had to change too. Lance got on the treadmill next to the smaller teen and pressed a button. 

"You know, muscles don't equal masculinity," said Pidge, not taking their eyes off the little LED screen tracking their progress. They could tell Allura's comment had hurt Lance more than he would ever admit to, and they knew exactly why.

Lance continued to try and figure out the treadmill silently.

"Not to say that being muscular is bad or anything. I'm sure Shiro would gladly help you, if you wanted.."

"I don't need help," Lance snapped, but he quickly realized that it had come out harsher than intended. "I mean, I've got this all on my own!"

"Then why aren't you over there?" Pidge glanced over at Keith, Shiro, and Hunk, and the realization dawned on them. "Ohh...Lance, I know you and Keith are like 'rivals' or whatever, but I know you don't actually hate him. We're a team, remember? Also, your treadmill isn't plugged in."

Lance scoffed and went to plug it in. "I knew that. Anyways, I don't hate him, you're right. Its just that you were all alone over here and I never leave a friend behind."

Pidge gave him the most skeptical look. "Riiight...look man, I know you have a reason for it. I don't know what it is, but its there."

Lance finally got his treadmill running, and started to jog. "Pfft, whatever." He slowly picked up speed, despite the fact that he was having difficulty breathing. He hoped Pidge couldn't tell. 

They ran in silence for a few minutes, and Lance couldn't hide his heavy breathing. Pidge glanced over, and noticed he looked like he was in pain. They furrowed their brow, slowed down and turned off their treadmill. "Lance."

No response.

"Lance. Look at me!"

Lance stopped the treadmill and turned to Pidge, trying to ignore the pain. "Y-yeah?"

"Lance McClain." Pidge lowered their voice, even though the others were busy and probably couldn't even hear. "Tell me you are not wearing your binder right now."

Lance didn't make eye contact. "I didn't really have a chance..."

"ALLURA!!!" Lance started to panic, thinking he was going to be outed. Pidge knew better than that, right?! "We're taking a break. Be back in a few." Before she could protest, Pidge dragged him off the treadmill, draped one of his arms over their shoulders, and marched out of the room. Lance couldn't help but to lean on them, even though they were smaller. Under normal circumstances he would've felt bad, but right now he was trying not to pass out.

Pidge helped him lean against a wall in the hallway outside, and looked him in the eyes. "Why did you do that?"

Lance's head was still spinning. He couldn't even muster up the energy to speak. 

Pidge's face softened. "Take your time."

They sat there like that for a while. Pidge knew they couldn't do anything to help, but they were not going to leave a friend in a time like this. They had been through this before, and they knew Lance needed someone now more than ever.

He finally caught his breath and started to feel normal again. "I have to tell them."

Pidge just nodded. "Whenever you're ready, let me know if you need anything."

"Now."

"Now?"

"Now. Thanks for the offer, but I have to do this on my own."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked back into the room before Pidge even realized what was going on.

When he opened the door, all eyes were on him. Normally, this wouldn't bother him, but they had made a pretty big scene while leaving, and he knew everyone had seen him in that state. This awakened his insecurities, and he started to blush. 

"H-hey guys. I'm back," Lance announced. Pidge caught up and nudged him with their elbow to get his attention. Lance looked down at them, and they smiled up at him encouragingly. He looked up again, at no one in particular, and took a deep breath. "I need to tell you guys something."

"Lance, now is not the time," Allura said exasperatedly, expecting a wise crack.

That was enough to make Lance want to give up. He started to apologize, until a voice cut him off.

"Allura, please let him speak," said Keith.

Allura looked just as surprised as Lance did, but allowed him to finish.

"Thanks, Keith." He squared his shoulders and started again. "I just wanted to tell you guys...well...this is harder than I thought." He glanced over at Keith, still slightly surprised that he had stood up for him. Keith smiled, ever so slightly, and somehow that gave Lance the courage to continue.

"I'm transgender."

Silence.

Lance started to panic, wondering what was wrong. He had been sure they wouldn't mind, but now doubt started to set in. _Oh god, what are they gonna do? Are they gonna throw me into space?!_

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Shiro smiling softly at him. "I'm proud of you, Lance. Thank you for telling us." Lance beamed up at him, glad the silence was broken. Before he could say anything, he was barreled into.

"DUDE! I can't believe you told Pidge before me! That is like, so unfair." Hunk wrapped Lance in a big bear hug. "I love you, no matter what man."

Keith was standing back, unsure of what to say, but Lance walked over to him once he managed to convince Hunk to stop hugging him. He patted Keith on the back, and grinned at him. "That was pretty cool of you. Thanks." Keith smiled, a small but genuine expression. "Its no problem."

Allura clasped her hands together. "Thank you very much for informing us, Lance. Now I do believe its time for a break..."

\---

Lance was getting ready for bed a few nights later, when he heard a knock on his door. "Hold on," he called, pulling a hoodie over his head. He smoothed his hair and walked over to the door, sliding it open.

"Oh, hey Keith," he said, slightly surprised. Keith looked as if he were considering leaving as quickly as he came, but he blurted something out before he could lose his nerve.

"I wanted to tell you something."

Lance raised an eyebrow, but stepped aside and gestured to his room.

"You can come in, if you want."

Keith took him up on the offer, but stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. Lance settled on the edge of the bed, looking up at Keith expectantly. Keith started to stammer. "Uh, you know, this isn't really that important...I should go," but he looked back at Lance and sighed.

"You can sit, y'know. I don't bite." Lance smirked. "Unless you're into that."

Keith groaned. "You're making this impossible."

Lance laughed, and Keith looked to the side, trying not to look at the way his eyes lit up and blush at his damn laugh.

Lance wiped a stray tear from his eye. Keith wondered how he could make himself laugh so much. "Nah, but seriously man, come sit if you want."

Keith sat on the edge of the bed rigidly, unsure of how to start. Lance looked at him with curiosity painted on his face, and Keith shook away the though that it was...kind of cute.

"You know the other day, in the gym...?" 

Lance felt a weight drop in his chest. He knew someone was going to bring it up eventually, surely they weren't _all_ going to accept him immediately...

He bit his lip and nodded, bracing for the worst. 

Keith didn't know how to proceed. He thought for a moment, and figured maybe the best way to tell him was to show him. He took a deep breath and started to lift his shirt.

Now Lance was throughoughly bewildered. "Uh, Keith, you know I was just kidding about the biting thing, right?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Like I said, you make this impossible." He pulled the shirt up just enough to reveal a black binder.

Lance stared blankly for a few moments. "No way," he muttered finally.

Now it was Keith's turn to be nervous. He yanked his shirt back down and started to stand, but Lance grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down, grinning.

"Seriously?! Out of all the people on Earth, they just happened to pick _two_ trans boys? What are the odds of that? Its so cool!"

Keith smiled, slowly but surely. "Yeah. It is pretty cool. Anyways, I just thought you might like to know...it made me feel better knowing I wasn't the only one. The others don't know yet, though."

Lance couldn't contain his excitement, and pulled Keith into a strong hug. "I won't tell anyone, promise." Keith was caught off guard, and his arms just hovered there for a second, but he relaxed a little and rested his hands on Lance's back.

\---

Over the next few months, the two became undeniably closer. The other paladins noticed, but they were just relieved to be free of the bickering.

Every so often, one of them would go to the other boy's room, and they would just talk. Sometimes they talked about gender related things, but other times not. Lance talked a lot about how much he missed Earth. It was slightly awkward at first, but they warmed up to each other quickly.

Tonight, they were laying side by side on Keith's bed, staring up at the ceiling. Keith was talking emphatically with his hands. 

"People remind me all the time, talking about 'when I was a girl'." He scoffed. "As if I was ever a girl. As if I wasn't miserable before. Especially when they find out I'm gay. So many people ask me why I didn't just 'stay a straight girl'." He dropped one hand to his side, dragging the other through his hair and sighing. 

Lance turned on his side to face him. "I know exactly what you mean. Well, not exactly, because I'm bi, but I get it." He put his hand on top of Keith's to comfort him. "Ignorant people suck."

Keith nodded. "Agreed." 

Lance yawned and propped himself up on his elbow. "Keithy boy, I hate to leave but I need my beauty sleep. Unless..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you want me to stay. But I'll probably end up falling asleep."

Keith blinked, then smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I would like that."

Lance beamed, clearly relieved. "Awesome. I'll be back in like, two seconds then." He jumped up before Keith could ask where he was going.

He returned a few minutes later in his pajamas. "I had to take my binder off," he explained. "Ever since the whole gym thing, I've been extra careful about the rules and stuff..."

Keith nodded, already having changed. "That's good. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."

Lance laid back down on the bed, grinning. "Aww, you really do care about me."

Keith rolled his eyes, but didn't deny it.

\---

Their sleepovers became a fairly regular ordeal. 

Lance was a cuddler. And frankly, this wasn't helping Keith with his little crush at all. 

The first time Lance threw an arm around his shoulder in his sleep, Keith hadn't been sure what to do. He didn't mind, obviously, but he was worried Lance would, had he been awake. He was really glad for this friendship, and he didn't want to ruin anything. Lance, however, kept snoring, and Keith finally fell asleep under his arm.

Eventually though, when Lance did it, Keith got comfortable enough to tentatively wrap an arm around his waist. He could've sworn he saw a flash of a smile on Lance's face, but he shook off the idea because it was dark and he was tired, and anyways, Lance was asleep.

When Lance woke up, his head was buried in Keith's chest and their legs were tangled. He looked up at Keith's sleeping face, and smiled softly. 

He had fallen harder than he'd thought he would. And he was absolutely okay with that.

Keith's eyes fluttered open and saw Lance smiling up at him. He returned the smile sleepily, and mumbled, "Morning." 

"Morning, handsome." Keith rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Don't flirt with me when you don't mean it."

Lance almost looked offended. "I do mean it, though."

Keith avoided eye contact. He could feel his heart pounding, and hoped Lance couldn't feel it too. Surely he was joking..

He felt a hand resting gently on his cheek. "Keith."

Keith gathered up the courage to look him in the eyes.

"I seriously mean it. You're incredibly handsome and I wish you saw that for yourself." Lance leaned his forehead on Keith's, bringing them even closer together. "I wouldn't lie to you about that. Okay?"

Keith nodded slowly. He paused for a moment, seemingly ready to ask something.

"Would it be alright if I, well..." He hesitated, but Lance stared up at him with the most quizzical look, and it made Keith melt. "Would it be alright if I kissed you?" He blurted out.

Lance grinned. "I thought you would never ask." 

Their lips met, slowly and unsteadily, but not unpleasantly. They pulled back for a moment, staring at each other in awe. They kissed again, more confident this time, and their eyes fluttered shut. Keith placed a hand firmly on Lance's back, pulling him closer. 

When they broke apart again, Lance blushed. 

"You're cute when you blush," Keith said, causing Lance's face to go even darker. 

"Can I tell you something?" Lance asked, and Keith nodded. "You're the first person I've ever kissed."

Keith was surprised, but he smiled encouragingly at Lance. "Don't worry. You're my first, too." 

Lance interlaced their fingers. "Really?" Keith nodded.

Lance snuggled back into his chest, yawning. "Its cold. You're warm." 

Keith pulled him closer. "Better?"

Lance nodded. They started to drift back to sleep, both relaxing in the comfort of each other's presence. 

Neither of them had ever thought they could be so content.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a super self indulgent fanfic, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! Its been a while since I wrote anything, so I'd appreciate feedback on it. Also if you wanna scream about trans headcanons with me message me on tumblr @trans-klance! *finger guns out of the room*


End file.
